


hi, friend

by sisatanya



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: M/M, Mentions of Death, ghost jisung, mentions of bullying, minor jenle, rensung
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-05
Packaged: 2021-03-11 23:53:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28501056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sisatanya/pseuds/sisatanya
Summary: Renjun just wants a place where he can peacefully do his school works and studying. He gets that and a bonus, special friend.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun/Park Jisung
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23
Collections: the rensung files





	hi, friend

**Author's Note:**

> for #RSF100!~ I hope the prompter wouldn't be disappointed with what I did aahhhh

It’s a little past 3 in the morning and the already grumpy librarian is starting to shoo the remaining students to go home and rest, something everyone at that time desperately needs. But Renjun, a cramming college sophomore, deemed himself not worthy of that, yet. He is just halfway done reviewing for a _really important_ exam tomorrow early afternoon. He definitely _can’t_ stop studying yet when he still has a bunch of terms to master and understand, and definitely _has_ to keep on burning his eyes on reading the materials he has because he absorbs information much better when it’s wee hours of the morning. With his surroundings so quiet, he can squeeze all of the information into his brain, and.. 

“Renjun, Mrs. Kim is already throwing us out. Let’s go back to the dorms together?” asked Chenle, his one year younger roommate as he starts to stretch his body that has been stuck in a chair for so long. The dorm is just within their university and they can walk to it in less than ten minutes.

“Yeah sure. Are you gonna sleep when we get back? I hope you don’t mind me studying.” Renjun answered. 

He has no choice but to fight the sweet temptation of the bed and sleep because there is no other place for him to study. You know the kind of people who don't really study at home because they believe it is where they are supposed to rest? Maybe, just maybe, Renjun is that kind of person. The library, or the little messy dining table they have at their cramped dorm room, is all he has to choose from. Coffee shops are not an option either because they also close almost the same time as the library does. Why is there no 24-hour establishment in the vicinity of their university? 

“No, of course I don’t mind. I'm sure nothing can wake me up from my deep sleep once my body hits the bed because I'm really really really tired,” the younger answered. He was also in the same position as Renjun, has to study for an exam but it seems like he is already giving up.

  
  
  


Once they got safely in their dorm room, Chenle just dropped his stuff at the couch then plopped to the nearest bed, which had a sleeping Jeno on it. The older slightly opened his eyes and when he saw it was Chenle who just came, he simply put his arm over and went back to sleep.

_Cute, my roommates are so cute, and I want to sleep too. But yes, study._

Renjun placed his study materials over the coffee table in front of the couch, sat on the floor, and started again. 

  
  
  


About an hour or so, his back started to hurt. Studying at the floor is not a good idea, it never was, but again, he doesn’t really have a choice. Sitting on the couch with his materials on the low table would make his back hurt too. He then decided he needed a walk so he grabbed his jacket and went out. He went to the convenience store to buy some food then returned to their room. But before he entered, he saw the door to the rooftop and thought it would be a good idea to spend his remaining break time there. 

The cold morning air welcomed him as he opened the slightly creaky door to the rooftop. It wasn’t his first time there but he doesn’t really go much. It is spacious and empty, the originally white paint chipped off on some parts of the floor, and there is also this shed. _A shed!_ Yeah, what about a shed? _A few dusting off and this could be a good place to study!_ He knew about the shed but he didn’t remember it’s existence until he saw it again, and it is perfect timing! 

With food on his one hand and the other half embracing himself, Renjun walked to the shed and peeked into the window. There’s a nice wooden table and wooden chairs that has a pillow on the seat. He also saw something that looks like a telescope, but he’s not sure because why would there be a telescope in the shed. Maybe a student who also lives in this dorm owns it? Well, whatever it is, it doesn’t matter as of now. He goes to the bench near the edge of the rooftop and starts to eat, and also mentally plans his schedule for the day, and what to say to the dorm auntie regarding the shed.

  
  
  


It’s now 8 in the evening and Renjun just finished fixing the shed. And by fixing, it means dusting off the table and chairs, removing cobwebs from the ceiling, and sweeping the whole place. Luckily, he didn’t do all of the cleaning alone. Before he went to sleep at 8 because he finally finished studying, he was able to tell Jeno, who just woke up, his (not-so-new) discovery who also seemed interested at the idea of the shed as their study place. 

  
  


_“I hope dorm auntie would allow us to hog the shed, I already have some ideas on how to make it cute.” Renjun told his non sleeping roommate._

_“You mentioned the telescope. If it’s there, then don’t you think there might be other people who ‘owns’ the place already?” Jeno asked him._

_“Well it wouldn’t be dusty there if there are? Whatever. I’m just gonna have to ask dorm auntie.” Renjun replied as he went to his bed and finally got his rest._

  
  


_Thirty minutes before the start of his exam, Renjun was already prepared to go. He was already heading out the dorm building but he saw the dorm auntie and remembered he had something to ask._

_“Auntie!”_

_“Oh, Renjun! Going to class now?”_

_“Yes. Uhm, but I have something to ask you before I go.”_

_“Sure, what is it?”_

  
  


_Luckily, the kind woman agreed after thinking over his request for a minute. After he got the key to the shed, he bid the auntie goodbye and walked to his classroom. After the exam, he slept for a bit and when he woke up, he had dinner with his roommates then started to work on the shed._

  
  


“I’m soooo tired.” Chenle whined while Jeno and Renjun were almost finished putting the fairy lights at the windows, giving the place a soft vibe. They have already finished cleaning the shed plus the table and chairs, and the telescope, which apparently belongs to the auntie’s son. 

“Me too. I want to rest for a while, then try studying here. I want to know how it feels.” Renjun replies excitedly.

“It would feel… just like studying.” Chenle answers, and the bickering ensues, which continues for some time while Jeno just watches them, amused.

“I’m curious though, where could be auntie’s son? Why’d they leave the telescope here to collect dust?” 

“Abroad?”

“Or maybe they grew tired of it?”

_Crash_. The boys peeked out to see the source of the sound but nothing.

“It might be a cat that bumped into the wall or something.” Chenle shrugged to which Jeno replied with quite excitement. 

“Oooh cat.”

  
  


A few days later, the trio have developed a little routine: after their classes, they would go straight to the shed to study, at dinner time, they’ll assign a person to buy their dinner through a sort of any game they’d think of at the moment, and Chenle somehow always loses. Thanks to Jeno’s kind heart, the youngest is sometimes spared of having to go down, then walk to the food store nearby, then climb up the stairs again. Or sometimes they’d just order delivery so at least the delivery guy would go to their floor, less work. Then, continue studying until one by one they get sleepy, and one by one they start returning to their room. Renjun is usually the one left behind. Sometimes he’d get strange weird vibes especially when he’s alone, like a feeling that there’s someone, something else with him, but he usually ignores it because he actually has work to finish. But he thinks there is a ghost and he tells Jeno and Chenle but they’d just tell him it’s probably the effect of fatigue, and that he should get some rest.

But now it is 2am and he’s alone and he’s pretty sure there is indeed a ghost. He was just peacefully (and stressfully) working on his project alone when one of his pen rolled away from him. And when it fell down and made a sudden noise, there was also a surprised shriek that followed. And it’s not from him, but from a figure that had just appeared beside him. Another shriek and now it’s actually from Renjun.

“What.. who are you! Oh my-- ghost! You are a ghost aren’t you..” 

The boy he’s looking at right now is also panicking. “Uh.. yes? Look, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you and I don’t mean any harm either I’m just watching you do your project because I think it’s fascinating and I think I accidentally bumped your pen that’s why it fell but I was also startled at the sound and I was so startled that now you can actually see me, I hope you don’t freak out please”

“For a ghost you are quite wordy.” 

“Are ghosts supposed to be not wordy? I don’t know it’s my first time being a ghost.”

Renjun is stunned. For various reasons. One, there is a ghost conversing with him right now. Two, the said ghost said a lot, and he found the ghost’s last reply to him funny.. _and cute_.. what a cute ghost.. compared to other (scary) ghosts. Not that he meets a lot of ghosts. He doesn’t even meet one face to face like this. He just feels and believes that in some circumstances, there is a ghost with him. And he believes in a lot of other non-worldly creatures, but let’s not focus on that now. 

Renjun lets out a small giggle. “Dummy, can you even be a ghost for the second time?”

“I’m not Dummy, I’m Jisung, and maybe you have a point but what if ghosts can actually be ghosts for the second time?” the ghost, Jisung, scoffs.

“Okay then Jisung, if you become a second time ghost someday, then let me know. That would be a big discovery.” 

“Yeah, it would.”

Both of them are now calmer than before. Renjun is still sitting on his chair and Jisung is leaning on the table. And now, Renjun is a lot more interested in talking to a ghost rather than finishing his project.

“Hey Jisung, can I interview you while I finish my project? I can’t pass this opportunity to talk to a ghost but I really really have to finish this.” 

  
  
  
  


It turns out that he and Jisung actually share a lot of interests. He actually started asking about how the younger boy turned out like this (“It’s essential to know how a ghost died, right?”), which is actually embarrassing for Jisung.

_“But it’s so embarrassing.” Renjun has been prodding the other for a while now, and Jisung has been nothing but a sturdy wall._

_“Come onnn, it’s alright. It’s just me who will know!”_

_“Okay fine.” Sturdy, but movable wall._

_“My shoelaces got untied so I tripped while crossing the street and a car hit me. See! Embarrassing and lame way to die.” Jisung answered then covered his face in.. embarrassment._

_“What is an ‘not embarrassing’ and a ‘not lame’ way to die then?”_

_“When it’s natural because of really old age or when it’s because you saved someone else. I think those are cool ways.”_

  
  


And they ended up talking about outer space stuff, even after Renjun has finished his project already. He notices how the young ghost’s eyes still shine when talking about something that interests him a lot.

  
  


_“You know it’s actually possible to travel lightyears away but with shorter time right? Wormholes!”_

_“But how short of a shortcut is a wormhole? What if it’s end are still lightyears apart?”_

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Renjun is awakened by his alarm and with an aching arms and back. He realized he actually fell asleep at the table on the shed while talking to.. _Jisung!_ He looked around and he found nothing. 

“Hey Jisung, are you here?” Renjun whispered tentatively, and was shocked to hear a response and the reappearance of the younger right in front of him. “Yep.” 

“If you keep doing that I might have a heart attack.” 

“Sorry. I’ll knock at the door first then come in.”

Renjun shakes his head while smiling because it’s another one of Jisung’s adorably innocent comebacks. Jisung sees that and immediately, he knows. 

“Hyung stop, don’t do it.”

“But it’s cute! You’re cute!” Jisung replies with a groan. It’s only been hours but Renjun has called Park Jisung ‘cute’ for probably more than a hundred times already.

“Okay okay. I won’t, maybe for an hour I won’t. But come with me to my classes! Maybe you’ll find a ghost friend there.” From their talk earlier, Renjun found out that ever since Jisung has been a ghost, he’s only been up there on the rooftop because as the latter have said: _“I’m perfectly fine here and I’m too scared to meet a scary angry ghost.” “What can even a ghost do to another ghost?” “I don’t know for sure but even an angry alive person scares me.”_

This is Renjun’s plan to let Jisung live his ghost life to the fullest. He believes that ghosts have unfinished earth business but when he tried asking Jisung if he does have one, Jisung says he doesn’t remember. _“It must be because he’s overstaying here on the rooftop.”_ Renjun hypothesizes. He has to get the younger to go out and explore so he might be able to remember what is his ‘unfinished business’.

  
  
  


The day passed by and Jisung hasn’t made a ghost friend, or remembered anything that could be the answer to ‘What is Park Jisung’s unfinished business’ aka ‘Why is he a ghost now aside from because he died’. The duo are now on their way to the shed, bickering.

“I told you, you should’ve befriended the ghost you said that it’s in the library. They sounded so nice in your description.” 

“I also told you the stare they gave me tells me not to befriend them.” 

“Don’t judge a ghost by their stare!” 

As Renjun opened the door to the shed, he was surprised to see Jeno and Chenle inside, possibly judging him because he was just talking so loud, and Jisung, probably startled, decided to disappear into thin air.

“Were you talking to someone?” Chenle asked him. Renjun was debating on what to say, and instead of dwelling on it for too long, he just decided to go for it.

“I was talking to a ghost.” he said with a sigh.

“Did you have enough sleep last night?” Jeno worriedly asks. 

“No. But it’s true! Come on Ji, show yourself and meet my friends!” 

Chenle and Jeno are getting more concerned about their obviously sleep-deprived friend and roommate. About ten seconds passed and still nothing. Renjun has to do what he has to do.

“The ghost from the library probably knows you like mint chocolate that’s why they were looking at you like that.”  
  
“I already told you I’m already starting to dislike it, and that ghost isn’t really for befriending, trust me.” Jisung replied not even a beat later.

Now everyone in the room (yes, still including Renjun) is surprised.

“I thought you said you’ll knock on the door first?! By the way guys, this is Jisung, this rooftop’s ghost.”

  
  
  
  
  


Fortunately, that first meeting went well. Jisung became a part of their little friend circle. When the trio spends their time at the shed, Jisung busies himself looking and asking questions on the current task a certain person is doing. When it’s time to go to class, Jisung picks who he wants to go with, and he can’t choose to not go because Renjun said so. Sometimes, they all go to the mall to relax and have fun adventures with taking advantage of Jisung’s ghost features. 

So far, everything has been going well, until one day, it’s Chenle who’s Jisung picked as the person he’ll tag along. They were in the lobby of Chenle’s college when it happened. Jisung was busy looking around because there is a university festival ongoing and there are just so many things going on. His chaperone for the day is busy on his own, trying to contact Jeno and Renjun because they were supposed to meet there ten minutes ago. Chenle just finished his nth attempt trying to contact either but nothing, and when he turned around, he found Jisung crying.   
  
“Oh my god. What happened?” Chenle reached to the crying and shaking ghost but he was not responding. Instead, he just kept on crying and Chenle started to panic when Jisung’s eyes started to slowly change. He held the other’s hand which seemed to have an effect but it’s still not enough. Luckily, the two older boys arrived and immediately asked what’s happening.   
  
“I- don’t know! I was trying to call you and he was just right there but when I looked at him again he just started crying!” 

Usually, Jisung calms when Renjun holds his hand so he does that.   
  
“Jisung.. Sungie, sweetie what’s wrong?” As if Renjun’s voice were magic, Jisung was like awakened from his trance and he immediately went into the older’s arms. 

“We’ll go back to the shed now, okay?” Renjun said while also patting Jisung’s head.

  
  
  
  
  


“So you’re telling me you almost became a vengeful ghost??” Chenle screamed after hearing what Jisung had to say about the scene earlier.

“Yeah. When I saw the person who had been bullying me in school, everything I don’t remember from when I was still alive, it came back to me. There I realized their prank on me and my shoes is what actually led me to my accident and I became so angry it almost consumed me.” Jisung told them while being currently crushed in a hug pile with his friends. 

“Come on, tell me who they are and I will talk to them.” Jeno calmly offers although in his face, it is evident that he is pissed. 

“Nah hyung, it’s fine. They would learn their lesson but I don’t want you to be involved with them.” Jisung says and it becomes silent for a while, until he adds, “I think.. I know what’s my unfinished business now.”

Three pairs of eyes widened in shock. 

“That’s great! Isn’t it?” Chenle replies unsurely. 

“I guess? But after finishing that, what do you think might happen to me?” Jisung wonders, avoiding eye contact with anyone.

His friends sigh as they stay still on their pile. 

“We don’t know for sure but whatever that will happen, we’re glad that we met you and became our friend.”, the eldest reassures him, ending with a pinch in his face. “Now let’s talk about how to finish that business, and we’re going to help you with that.”

  
  
  


Jisung shares that he and his mom weren’t on the best terms when he became a ghost. 

_“She wanted me to go to another university, the one that I actually like but I wanted to go to the university here instead. I don’t want her to be alone. At least if I go to the university here, I can help her with the dormers.”_

_“Wait.. your mom is the landlady??! Dorm auntie?”_

_“Yeah. I know she can handle herself but it still would be a lot of help if I’m around.”_

_“Park Jisung, you are a really good child.”_

  
  


_“So now, for the plan..”_

  
  
  


The next day is luckily a free day for everyone and they put their plan into action.

“Auntie!” Renjun calls the attention of their landlady. “Are you free later? For dinner? We just want to treat you to a nice meal at the rooftop shed as a thank you for letting us use the place.”

“Uh-” “Great! See you at 7pm auntie!” The woman just smiled to herself. “This boy, really.”

  
  


The four friends prepared the dinner in the shed and after preparing, they still had some time before Jisung’s mom comes. 

“Thank you guys, for doing this, and helping me and everything.” Jisung sincerely announces. 

Jeno, who is an arm away from Jisung, comes closer and ruffles his hair. “Of course buddy, we are your friends and that’s what friends do.” 

“This is a big deal, you know. You guys agreeing to be always there for my mom as if you’re also her children brought so much relief to me. Now what is only left is for me to talk to her.” 

“Again, friend duties. I will miss you stupid.” Chenle goes for a hug and squeezes him tight.

“I will miss you too guys, if that’s possible for me as a ghost.” 

They laughed but not their usual boisterous, happy one. 

“Renjun hyung, aren’t you going to say anything?” Jisung teases. 

Renjun rolls his eyes, but with a fond smile in his face. “I just hate going back to being the lone third wheel of Jeno and Chenle.” 

It’s Jisung who goes to Renjun and gives him a hug.

“In my next life, we will find each other again, all of us alive, and I will not let you third wheel them alone, hm?” Jisung whispers as Renjun returns the younger’s surprisingly warm hug. 

There is a knock at the door and it’s finally their cue to go. 

“We’ll find each other then.” Renjun finally says and leaves a gentle peck on Jisung’s cheek before he let’s go. 

The three goes to the door to open it, revealing dorm auntie waiting outside. She sees Jisung and the older boys guided her inside as they went out.

Renjun, Chenle, and Jeno shared sad gazes. But they know, things will be fine.

_“He will be fine.”_

**Author's Note:**

> if you reached this part, thank you so much! T^T
> 
> edited note after reveals hehehe: hello~ it’s my first time trying to actually write.. I joined rensung fic fest as a challenge to myself because I really wanted to try to write… thank you to the mods and all the people i met through this wonderful opportunity! and to my beta, thank you.. for bearing with my awkwardness and i’m sorry because i don’t really know yet how to write.. and communicate with a beta huhuhu congrats to everyone who joined! I haven’t read anything yet because i still have to pass some last requirements for this sem but i’m so excited to read everyone’s work hihi again, thank you for reading!


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